badmuthahubbard

Hi everyone! I'll get right to it. I am looking at registering copyright for a collection of 20-some pieces. 1. Some are microtonal, and the notation I used when composing them is my own creation, though not completely unintuitive. Can I just submit them as audio, or should I print out the score, non-traditional as it is? It's basically a grid with colored dots representing notes. Here is an animated version of one: I could alternatively, fairly simply, turn these pieces into very precise but not very easy to read lists of frequencies, Csound-style or something like it. 2. One song no longer exists in any form except a microtonal recording created with weird synthesis, all sounds created by manipulated human voices reading Kafka's Metamorphosis in German, not from a translation. I believe that Kafka's original text must be public domain by now, but I'll have to check. I have no other form left than the audio, but the words are not mine. 3. One is a traditional American folk tune, 'Fire on the Mountain', to which I wrote my own silly square-dance words. Should I simply register the words? But then can I register as music, or would it be under literature? Maybe the simplest would be to write my own new music to go with it... 4. One song is co-authored by a friend. 5. The clearest form of most of the pieces is traditional scores, some with words and some without. I don't have audio for all of them. The FAQ I read says the collection can be either written or audio, but can it be mixed or do I have to register one audio and one written collection? Thanks in advance for any guidance! -Chuckk

Howdy all! I was just going through some recordings I made some 20 years ago with my friend on my old 4-track in my mom's garage. He was very creative and later developed into a good songwriter. We recorded a bunch of stuff together, writing words and music and recording them all within a few hours. My friend died in 2009, and now, listening to those old tracks, I know he would have liked for them to be heard. He told me so. For most of them, there was no one else involved but us 2. What can I do copyright-wise? I would like to register some of those songs, but with him as co-author or in some cases sole author. Can I do that in the name of a dead person who was not a relative of mine?? I still talk with his family often and I know they'd help too, if that would make any difference. Later, he formed his own group without me and wrote much more serious songs. They made an album, but I'm sure he never registered any copyright. Years later he told me that if I knew any way of publicizing or selling those songs, he would go along with anything. I wouldn't want to make any profit from them, but it would be nice for that music to be available for people to hear today. In this case, all of the other 4 musicians are still alive but I have only maintained contact with one of them. I think he was the sole author of all songs, but they are on the recordings. If anyone knows the intricacies of these kinds of things, I'd appreciate some guidance. To me it seems like it would be hopelessly complicated to get all these things formalized, but I don't know. Thank ye! -Chuckk

Hi. I'm an American citizen, but have been living in Romania for 6 years. I have read enough to convince me that I (and my Romanian songwriting partner) should register copyright in the U.S., but what is not clear is what I should put as "Country". I still have a residence in the states, but I also have legal residence in Romania as the spouse of a citizen. It seems like using my U.S. information would tend to be advantageous, but I also collaborate with my songwriting partner, who is neither a citizen nor a resident of the U.S., so if we register some works together I wouldn't know what to put. Is anyone else here in the same boat? Thanks! -Chuckk

Hi! I'm Chuckk. I'm American but have lived in Romania for several years. I play 5-string banjo and have started a bluegrass/country band in Bucharest: http://www.westroot-band.com We play originals and a few covers. I also have a degree in composition from UArts in Philadelphia, so I'm trying to combine several different, mostly unrelated things! Thanks for these forums! -Chuckk Hubbard